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Paul Bailey accident


markwebster

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I don't know if any of you know Paul Bailey.

 

IMG_5866.jpg

 

He has climbed all over Washington and smith so I suspect some of you have seen him around. He worked for rmi two summers ago, and spent last summer working in mazama...maybe for outward bound. He is on a road trip in Australia and just took a very bad roof fall.

 

newspaper story

 

He had $25,000 of medical insurance, but that won't cover his costs. I'll be sending him what I can.

 

Paul and I spent 3 weeks together at jtree this xmas.

 

http://www.websterart.com/html/jtree2008.html

 

The guy is an awesome climber and partner.

 

more info here:

paul bailey website

If you believe in prayer...

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Mark, you're a good partner to be there for him like this, posting up so we can all pitch in w/the cash and concern. Coming together as a community is a an unexpected part of climbing that I'm appreciating more and more. Thanks for sending up the signal for Paul. :tup:

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More info:

 

Paul did indeed work at Outward Bound in Mazama last summer and I can attest that he's an incredibly kind, charismatic guy and a safe climber who had some bad luck (a bolt reportedly sheared off or pulled out in his fall).

 

He's a really good guy and any donation, even a tiny amount, would help and show him that the climbing community sticks together and supports each other through difficult situations. I think any good news he can get at this point would be welcome.

 

Thanks everyone,

 

Steve

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Latest news from the blogspot site. Sounds like some big challenges ahead.

 

Paul had surgery to repair his wrists yesterday. The surgeon said he had never seen wrists in such bad shape; the bones, like pieces of a broken mirror, were completely shattered into many small bits by the impact. The surgeon worked until 11pm to complete the surgery because he had to piece many tiny fragments back together again and reset the pieces with plates and pins. He remarked that Paul's wrists were a small sacrifice to his brain. If he had not covered his face with them, he probably would not be alive today.

 

Post surgery Paul has acquired a low-grade fever (99-100) which is most likely due to an infection in one of his wounds. This is still being evaluated. The pressure in his head was also up for a while, but has been brought back down to about 10. The doctor said this is not abnormal and could have been a result of all of the shifting around. The Orthopedic surgeon feels Paul will have a positive result and should have good mobility in his wrists again; however, he will require six months to a year of therapy. Paul is scheduled to also have surgery to repair bones in and around his face because the compression of the hit fractured many of them. This has to be done soon before they start to heal improperly; however, the medical team is waiting for him to stabilize first. He is still in the induced coma, which I believe he will not be weaned out of until he is stable and his surgeries are completed. My family has been very impressed by the medical team at Alfred Hospital where they have been providing world-class care, support and kindness. My family is more than grateful for the time that they spend explaining everything and for their overall dedication to providing top-notch care.

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imagine if that was you. This could happen to any of us. I was leading a route yesterday with less than optimal protection, considering a move that might result in a ledge fall. I thought about Paul...and backed off. My partner finished it for me. That's the great thing about this sport, we help each other out.

 

Been thinking about buying a 5 camalot. It's payday, I think I'll make a donation to Paul's hospital account instead. There is no way we can approach what all that costs, but if those of us who know Paul pitch in for whatever we can spare, it would at least cheer him up a little when he comes out of the coma.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

The full story of the accident (from his belayer) has finally come out. Rather than post it here, I will let his family tell the story on the blog they are maintaining on Paul's recovery. The last I heard, Paul is mobile, but is still blind due to the head injury. There is a chance his vision may return.

 

http://paulbaileyinfo.blogspot.com/

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  • 3 months later...

This is amazing. Thank you all for your donations and amazing support. My name is Hannah, I'm an Aussie and I was climbing with Paul when he fell. Just to clear up, Paul was leading a trad climb and what we assume happened (because he wasn't actually in sight when he fell) was that he placed a nut and thinking it would be really strong pulled on it quite hard to secure it but the rock broke free and he swung out with it.

The climb was only a grade 14 and he was doing the climb with 2 other really skilled climbers and of them he was the strongest. It goes to show that no matter how good you are you can have shit luck. Be careful.

Paul has now flown back to the states as you may have read in the blog. Thanks again for the support and don't stop praying because the recovery is far from over.

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I never met Paul but hope his recovery continues to progress and progress quickly.

 

Question for you Hannah (or anyone that might know), was he wearing a helmet when he fell?

 

He seems to have sustained pretty severe trauma and am wondering if it happened despite using a helmet.

 

Thanks and best wishes to Paul.

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Yeah, I read that he took it to the face from an overhanging rock which would explain things...I just didn't know if the brain trauma was amplified from an impact that could have been lessened from some head gear.

 

Not questioning his choice to wear or not. Just wondering if it was one of those instances where bad luck sticks it to ya despite your best efforts.

 

Thank you for the insight.

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